title: Expression of clusterin in normal and   preeclamptic placentas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Clusterin is a multifunctional protein that is up-regulated during many different pathophysiological states. Clusterin may be related to a compensation mechanism involving aggregation of soluble proteins, inhibition of complement-mediated cell damage, adaptive regeneration or apoptosis. Clusterin may increase in response to cell damage that results from hypoxic stress in the preeclamptic placenta. The goal of this study was to measure clusterin expression and localization in normal and preeclamptic placental tissues.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immnunohistochemical and double immunofluorescent staining for clusterin was performed on eight normal and eight preeclamptic placental tissues, and clusterin expression was quantified by Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemical analysis of clusterin in placental tissues obtained from normal pregnancies and those with preeclampsia showed localization of clusterin mainly in the syncytiotrophoblasts and villous endothelial cells. In the double immunofluorescent staining, clusterin was detected in the cytoplasm. The Western blot analysis showed that clusterin expression in the placental tissues of the preeclampsia group was significantly higher than in the normal pregnancy group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased expression of clusterin in placental tissues might play an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, 92 Chilam-dong, Jinju 660-751, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-Kyu
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Kyung-An
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Min-Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Yoon-Sook
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji-Kwon
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Won-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Soon-Ae
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jong-Hak
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wan-Sung
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Won-Young
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Paik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D051152:Clusterin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: C495242:CLU protein, human; D051152:Clusterin